The South Sydney Rabbitohs are understood to have permitted Isaiah Tass and Peter Mamouzelos to hit the open market.
Mamouzelos’ lingering exit from South Sydney has been rumoured for some time, but Tass, also contracted through to the end of 2027, joining the list is new.
Zero Tackle has understood for much of the year that Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett would be happy for Mamouzelos to leave the club.
The coach is understood to have major issues with Mamouzelos’ first contact in defence, and it has contributed to the man once viewed as Damien Cook’s natural successor at the Rabbitohs falling well down the pecking order.
It was revealed earlier this year Mamouzelos is likely to head to the English Super League in 2027, before landing on the radar of Willie Peters and the PNG Chiefs for the 2028 campaign.
Tass, on the other hand, is being reported by News Corp as being permitted to explore his options for 2027.
The outside back who can play either centre or wing debuted for South Sydney in 2022, and played 16 games that year, with 23 in 2023, 8 in 2024 and another 23 last year, taking him to a total of 70 NRL games.
He is yet to feature in the top grade this year though, with recovery from an ACL injury hampering his cause and limiting him to just three NSW Cup games.
South Sydney, who are currently in a contract freeze with all players apart from Tallis Duncan, who is off-contract at the end of next year, are attempting to sort out both their immediate interests, and understand what they will be offering Latrell Mitchell before they make any further long-term decisions.
The report suggests the immediate moves to clear Mamouzelos and Tass from their books if they can find an interested party elsewhere are in play to lock up both Matt Dufty and Jamie Humphreys for next season.
Humphreys had all but decided to move to the Perth Bears before backflipping on the expansion outfit, leaving the Rabbitohs with a chance of picking up his re-signing, while Dufty has taken over from Jye Gray at the back in recent weeks and has impressed since being picked up on a NSW Cup deal following his return from the English Super League.
Humphreys has not yet been linked to any other clubs, but by backflipping on a complete deal, it’s clear he will have something in the pipeline elsewhere in the competition.
The news around Mamouzelos and Tass comes as the Rabbitohs continue to negotiate with Tallis Duncan, but freeze all other deals beyond 2027.
It’s understood the club is waiting until the end of the season not only to remove distractions, but to make a determination on the future of Latrell Mitchell and what it will mean for their salary cap before beginning to make other contract offers.
Centre Jack Wighton told the media on Wednesday that he could understand why the Rabbitohs are trying to prioritise Duncan.
“He’s a great kid, mate,” Wighton said.
“He’s the club’s future; he’ll probably be the club’s next captain if you ask me. He’s a great role model; he is a great leader, and he does that with his actions and being up front.
“The club would be foolish if they didn’t prioritise him, you know what I mean. He would be first off the rank if it was me running the club and I think they’re definitely going down the right lines there.
“As I said, I can see him as the next captain of this whole club.”
South Sydney aren’t the first club to place a contract freeze this year, with the St George Illawarra Dragons doing similar earlier this year in the lead-up to Shane Flanagan’s axing.
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